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Annelies of Teens Online

So, it's that time again: time to decide what you want to study next year. As a junior, this is the last time I'll be scheduling classes and it's a little stressful. (It's a little melancholy as well, but that's much too clandestine to mention. Everyone can't wait to leave high school, right?) In any case, if you still have yet to turn in those forms, or are already thinking about next-next year's credits, here are some of the wonderful (but little known) opportunities I was grappling with. (As if you need more indecision when it comes school scheduling.)

Internship: I'm not sure about yours, but my high school offers a really cool internship course, where you can learn the ins and outs of applying for a job and find the skills you need to get an internship at a local business. The first term covers resumes, interviews, and helps you survey the area around your high school for businesses in need of some high school interns, while the second term gives you time to skip school and work in a real work environment as an intern in the type of job you hope to have one day.

PSEO: Most people have at least heard of PSEO, but it can take a little digging to find out how this option will really work for you, as you need to make sure that you fulfill your high school graduation requirements while taking courses in a college setting. If you really want to get off the high school campus though, this option is definitely for you. Tatum wrote an interesting article about it here if you'd like to read more about it.

Honors Mentor Connection: This option is probably the least known of the four, as I only found it when I was paging through my course book in search of course #1 (there is no such thing apparently. Drat.). It's similar to an internship course, but is especially useful for high schools that don't offer such a course and also includes seminars and other interesting things. I've heard that this program is more guaranteed to give you a real job (because some businesses could possibly just hire interns to file papers), but I've heard great things from both programs, so it is entirely up to what works best for you.

Local College Partnerships: This isn't an official name, so you may not come up with much when you Google it, but many high schools have relationships with local colleges and offer off-campus courses that can earn you both high school and college credit (such as enrollment at Hennepin Technical College). They usually offer bus services too, for those who don't have a car (like myself). Most of the courses offered are centered around nursing and car repair (which have never interested me), but the chance to get out of the classroom and do something hands-on sounds like an unforgettable, worthwhile experience. I ultimately chose to stay in the building for my last few years of high school, because I want to take psychology and get my COMPTIA A+ certification, but it was a really difficult decision. Although I didn't take any of these chances, I hope my experience can help you in your decision to stick around or leave high school early.

posted by Meg at 11:57     1 comment

At 3:06, midnight summer wrote:
I'm doing PSEO!! im a little freaked out. but ill work through it. ;)

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